COLOURFUL PLATES

We’ve noticed that it’s easier to eat healthy when your food looks attractive and inviting. No bowls of cabbage soup for us. Healthy food doesn’t have to taste or look bland. When vegetables and grains come in all colours of the spectrum, you can easily put together a vibrant, colourful plate that says “eat me”. Which is why, this week we’ve gone for a super simple side of roast butternut squash and kale that you can do so many things with. It takes very little effort to prepare. Maybe the hardest part is portioning the squash, for which you need a sharp chef’s knife. Then it goes into the oven and you can simply let it cook while you attend to other things. Here’s the recipe:

Preheat the oven to 180*C. Prep the veg. We like to leave the skin on the squash. If you’ve never done that, it surprising adds a bit of texture to the otherwise soft roasted vegetable. They say that most of the best nutrients lie just below the peel of fruit and veg, so that’s another reason to leave the skin on, besides of course the time and effort you save! Coat the garlic and squash well with the olive oil in your roasting pan and cook in the preheated oven, stirring the contents of the pan occasionally during the cooking process. It should take about 40 minutes or so till the squash is almost done. This is now a good time to add the kale because you don’t want it to cook too much. Or in a fan oven, the kale can get too dry and crispy which is not the effect you are going for here.

You need only about 5 minutes for the kale to cook. When it’s done, this dish is great as a side for any meal, vegetarian or non-vegetarian. It can even be a great salad when it cools down. Simply add pumpkin seeds, spinach and some pasta or quinoa to bulk it out. Or if you’re feeling adventurous, blitz the veg up into a heartwarming soup and serve with bread. Enjoy your colourful plate and make sure you prepare a big batch on the weekends so that you have a wholesome lunch for 1-2 days of the week.

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